DBXLV: The Fourth Dimension
by Cesna Rose
Summary: In the void implied in the Cell Saga, we find our heros in a very different kind of Earth than imagined by Toriyama.
1. Girl with a Tail

**disclaimer: Disclaimer's are against my religion. D:**

Cesna: Woot, I wrote another chappie. OMG

Gohan: At least I'm not dead in this story.

Goten: And you got a random review. Leik, woah.

Cesna: I know, right? DBXLV, chapter one folks! And you really need to read the prolouge before you'd even begin to understand this... ha ha.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Goten, we are not getting a baby dinosaur for Mom's birthday."

"But it would be so cool!" Gohan's ten-year-old brother exclaimed.

Onlookers took the brotherly duo for face value, which was nothing out of the ordinary. Two dudes shopping for their mom. But not for long.

Gohan was ten when the last adventure took place, the adventure that pushed him to the limit of super saiyan. Androids #17 and #18 weren't exactly easy to overcome, but once they finally did, the pair finally relented their twisted reign over the Earth and agreed to find more peaceful methods of entertainment. This marks the last great adventure of Gohan, his father, and his father's friends. Since that time, Gohan's little brother Goten was born. Seeing him grow up had been an adventure all on its own, Goku would often remark.

Gohan's current stress load was coming from college. Not because it was hard or anything, but the social pressure to be 'normal' was overwhelming. All in all, Gohan realized he was relieved to a certain extent that peace has settled over Earth. He never really liked fighting all that much, and would much rather a life in the city than what his father made for himself in the country. Country living was nice, sure, but Gohan wanted something different for himself. Too bad there's a lot of crime in the city, or else Gohan could pretend to be normal without any guilt on his own part. Maybe he could take care of both problems…

Goten was the first of the two to realize that day was going to be dramatically different from the past ten years of normal days. While Gohan continued his inner monologue of crime and college, he decided on a three-heart necklace for his mother's present from the two of them. The younger demi-saiyan casually looked back from the transaction to look out of the little window at the front of the shop. He sensed a slight disturbance in the energy outside on the street, but nothing that seemed that big.

A moment after throwing his gaze back, Goten noticed a mob of angry people run by. He missed what they were chasing, that or it was invisible.

He strode on over to the window and tip-toed to see out of it better. After a minute, he saw a child run by. Other than running at a ridiculously quick speed, she seemed pretty average. Average size, short auburn hair, teal eyes… It was her outfit that really caught Goten's attention that something was out of the ordinary. It looked like something Trunks' dad would wear, if he still wore armor.

"Hey Gohan?" Goten called, looking back as the mob ran by once more.

"Hold on a sec, Goten," Gohan insisted as he paid for the necklace.

"Alright, but a little kid's in trouble out there." Goten breezed over to the door and peeked his head out, the jingle of overhead bells having caught the older brother's attention.

Taking the bag, Gohan walked over to his little brother and copied his gesture. Goten looked up to Gohan.

"You and Dad used to have tails… right?"

"That's a random question," Gohan mumbled as the mob turned a corner. "Wonder what made them so angry?"

"Gohan!" Goten spouted. "That little girl they're chasing…"

Gohan smiled and looked down to his brother. "They're chasing a little girl? Wonder what she did."

Gohan scratched the back of his head when Goten fumed at him, seemingly randomly.

"That little girl!" Goten almost screamed. "She had a tail!"

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Gohan's first reaction? Laughter.

"That's impossible, bro." Gohan stepped outside, leaving Goten to sputter after him. "That would mean she'd have to be a saiyan!"

"I'm just telling you what I saw!" Goten whined, following his brother. "She was also wearing weird clothes!"

Gohan, still with a laugh on his face, asked his brother what he meant.

"It looked like some old armor Trunks' dad has lying around."

Gohan stopped. Facing his brother, hands clenched tight, he prodded further.

"Are you sure, Goten?"

Goten crossed his arms and puckered his bottom lip. "Oh, so NOW you're taking me seriously?"

"If you're absolutely sure about 100 of what you said… then yes. Yes I am." Gohan closed his eyes. Goten assumed that he was reaching out his senses to catch 'sight' of the energy let off by the strange girl.

"She's definitely faster than your average human… Let's go, this could be serious."

Goten geared up and got ready to run after his brother. He couldn't help the giddy smile spread over his face, though. He always listened to the older men talk about the adventures they endured so many years ago… It's been over a decade since something interesting happened. His father joked that Goten was Earth's good luck charm, and he hated himself for it.

But finally something was about to happen. And he was the one to notice it.

Gohan darted off at an impossible speed (for a pure human, anyway), and Goten matched it. The chase had begun.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

This tailed child proved a bit of a challenge to catch up to. She hadn't seemed to take off to the air (though Gohan thought she probably could), but she darted down every turn possible. They had lost the mob by now, but the child could probably sense Gohan and Goten pursuing her, hence her heightened speed and difficult choice of a course.

Goten loved running. The colors and shapes that flew by him brightened up his senses, especially in the city. So many smells, so many sights, so many people! All the city needed were lots of animals running around and trees to climb. Big ones, not the dinky little ones in the median of the streets.

After running through the next alley and turning onto a street, they caught sight of her just a little further down. Gohan almost stopped in shock.

"You were right, Goten!" He called over his shoulder. "She DOES have a tail!"

"What'd you think, that I was making things up?!" Goten yelled back, a bit flustered. "Hey, she's speeding up!"

"Okay, enough of this!" Gohan said, speeding up considerably. "This chase ends now!"

Goten almost had a hard time keeping up with Gohan's new speed. The girl disappeared into another alley, appearing… scared, maybe? But she had a slight smile on her face. This wasn't very typical of a saiyan, if that was indeed what she was. At least to Goten's knowledge, anyway.

Flying past cars and a few confused city-folk, Gohan and Goten barraged into the alley to find this young girl jumping over a chain-link fence… that was easily the height of two Gohan's. Gohan seemed more amazed by this than Goten, though. Gohan was more used to the usual limitations of normal beings than Goten.

"We're going to have to trap her. I'll fly past her, and don't let her run by you when she turns around!" Gohan said, almost too quickly for Goten to catch. But once he sailed right on over the fence, he followed his lead.

Gohan landed in front of the child as she started to run again. The girl slid to a stop and turned to run the other way, when Goten landed in her way. Once more, she slid to a stop. Her head spinning about, she was obviously thinking of a way to escape this situation.

Gohan took in a deep breath and relaxed his fingers from a fist position. "Listen, we're not here to hurt you." He said sternly, but softly.

The girl's head shot in Gohan's direction once he addressed her. A look of bewilderment and tension entered her posture.

"Adelak cana sheayata!" She spouted, her tail wagging around furiously and her hands in tight fists. "Shirouto… Kananya say outto!"

Goten almost laughed. "What the heck is she saying? Sounds like gibberish…"

Gohan narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms. "Definitely another language, and I think we're just scaring her."

The girl backed away from Gohan, tail standing straight up now and the hairs of it standing on end. If he didn't feel so sorry for her, he would have laughed. Not to say that Goten wasn't chuckling on his end though. Suddenly the girl turned her head towards the young demi-saiyan.

"Kanata! Shou faeen saiya-jin no ouji!" She spouted, as if this should somehow hurt Goten. This just made him want to laugh more. Gohan paused before saying anything further.

"…Did she just say 'saiya-jin no… ouji'?"

Goten was laughing too hard to reply. Probably didn't even hear his older brother's question.

Recognition flew across the girl's face as she peered back at Gohan. "No ouji! No ouji!" She cried out, pointing to the crest placed on her armor's chest.

Gohan laughed. "That's a term very much like Vegeta used to say a lot… Goten, I think we need to bring her with us to Capsule Co., you go call the house and tell Dad to get over there."

Goten nodded and ran off. The girl looked like she wanted to take this opportunity to speed off as well, but didn't. Gohan came forward, and knelt down to her level. He attempted looking as gentle as possible.

"Yeah, no ouji… It's okay, we'll take you to the saiya-jin no oujo…" Gohan took her wrist and her eyes grew with wonder."

"P…papia?"

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo


	2. Veda, Saiyan Princess

**Disclaimer: disclaimers are against my religion. Everyone in the world knows that if it's on it isn't original. I only own Veda. Leik, duh.**

Cesna: Wow, I'm really spitting out chapters for this really fast. I've already got like, four of them written by hand.

Goten/Gohan: Oo What?! It takes you forever to update though!

Cesna: I'm just feeling rather creative right now. And once I finish this short story, then I'll move on back to 'Alive?', and who knows, maybe even 'Carry Me'!

Gohan: Just get on with it. Shouldn't you be working on your college work though?

Cesna: OO! Shut up already! Chapter two everyone! (and yes, I KNOW that 'saiya-jin no oujo' is Japanese… Just pretend it's saiyago. Cough)

**ooooooooooooooooooooooooo**

In spite of her suspected heritage, the young girl didn't seem to know how to fly. It took a good while to coax the child into Gohan's arms. Once they took off in flight, she let go of some tension.

_'Papia?!... Please, please don't tell me that she's Vegeta's daughter,'_ Gohan thought to himself. He knew that this discovery could lead to World War III in the home of the Capsule Corporation. Things would not be pretty for Vegeta when Bulma found out. Especially since she looked younger than Trunks. But Vegeta has always said saiyans mate for life. Did that mean they were above cheating?

But that didn't explain why this girl spoke a different language. No, this probably meant that she was from a different planet. Maybe. But perhaps it was just a foreign Earth language? But then why would she recognize the term 'saiya-jin no oujo'? To Gohan's knowledge, that was Vegeta's native language. Sai… saiyago was it? The only one that could tell him was Vegeta. Yet Gohan wasn't exactly sure how the saiyan prince would react to this girl.

The girl never became fully relaxed in Gohan's arms. Her brown tail curled around his arm, though. Probably out of insecurity. Gohan almost drifted out of altitude while watching her squirm.

She brushed some spikey bangs out of her face as she watched the city below them turn to country. Her tail tightened around his arm. The rolling country hills steadily grew to villages, towns, then tall buildings of a city once more. The next time Gohan checked on her, she was sleeping.

Normally, Gohan wouldn't be so rude as to stay silent on a long flight like this. But he couldn't communicate with her. Based on her level of power, Gohan would guess that she might be of lower class. Then again, he's also pretty she called herself saiyan royalty of some sort.

There was just too much to think about.

Within moments, Gohan landed in front of the world center for all things capsule. Trunks was already standing by the front gate.

"Dad said you were on your way," Trunks said casually, opening the gate. "Said you had someone he didn't recognize with you…"

Gohan walked in and right past the eleven-year-old Trunks. The younger demi-saiyan curled his nose. "Sorry, Trunks, don't have time to talk about this."

"Who's that girl?" trunks asked as he opened the front door via keypad. "Hey, she's wearing armor! Can she fight?" Not really knowing how to reply to Trunks, Gohan kept walking. "Is she strong? _Wow_, she has a tail! Is she a saiyan?"

Gohan gave a sharp glare to the young saiyan prince. Trunks grunted and looked away. "You know that Dad is going to have a conniption when he sees her."

"I know it's not going to be pretty," Gohan sighed. "but he's the only one who'll understand her. She speaks saiyago, I think."

"Hey, dad taught me a little of that, let me talk to her," Trunks said. "We might be able to avoid Dad going nuts, anyway."

They moved the girl into Trunks' room, laying her down on his bed. No sooner did Gohan stand up, did he suddenly feel his father and brother's arrival via instant transmission.

"Hey, my dad's here, go let him in," Gohan said. "bring him here and say it's important, or else he'll find the fridge or something…"

"Right!" Trunks exclaimed and ran out. Gohan smiled after him.

"So carefree… At that age I was fighting the androids…"

The young girl began to stir, making Gohan turn his head back towards her. He went and locked the window (not that glass would be much of a protection against a probable saiyan) and sat by the bed in case she tried to escape.

Soon Trunks walked in with Goku and Goten. Goku paused in the doorway as Goten and Trunks greeted one another. His eyes were on the girl's tail. He seemed more curious than cautious, though.

"So is this is?" Goku asked, laughing a little. "You think she's a saiyan?" Goku placed two fists on his hips.

"Well, its not only the tail," Gohan said, leaning against her bed. "She speaks in saiyago, I'm pretty sure."

"Saiyago?" Goku seemed bewildered. "What's that?"

"The saiyan native language," Gohan replied as his father came by for a closer look at the girl. "She recognized the term Vegeta always calls himself."

"Saiya-jin no oijo? Wow, I knew some saiyago and didn't even know it!"

"Dad…" Gohan moved over so Goku could get a better look at her. "She is trying to sleep, you know."

"She definitely looks saiyan," Goku stated as he looked her over. "Where'd you find her again?"

"In a city not too far from here, while we were looking for a present for Mom's birthday."

Goku blanched. "Oh, right… your mom's birthday…"

"Hey, she's waking up!" Goten said, pointing a finger.

The girl opened and closed her eyes a few times before keeping them open. She jerked in place, clutching to the bed and her tail straight up.

"Woah, woah, little thing…" Goku reached out in an attempt to comfort her, but she squalled and jumped back, knocking over a side table.

"Santash a ya kano!" Both hands on the ground and legs spread apart, she bared her teeth.

Gohan and Goku stood up.

"Feisty little thing, isn't she?" Goku asked his eldest son. Gohan began to say something, but he felt his heart drop instead. "What?" Goku asked.

"Vegeta's on his way up…" Gohan ran a hand down his face. "Things are going to get ugly."

Trunks coughed into a fist and stepped toward the girl.

"Alsk…" He said slowly. "Alsk toe yakka?"

The girl relaxed in posture a bit.

"…Veda…" She said.

"You catch that?" Trunks looked back and jerked his thumb towards her. The three Son's all shook their heads. "She says her name is 'Vayduh', at least I think that's what she means, since I don't know what that word means."

"Vee..duh?" Goten asked.

"No no, more of an 'a' sound after the 'v'. _Vay_-duh."

"Can you ask her where she's from or why she's here?" Gohan asked, trying to get as much information from her as possible before Vegeta got up there.

"Well, that's a lot harder…" Trunks sighed. "Let's see… Aynde—"

The door slammed open. No one had to turn to see who it was.

"…Hey Vegeta…" Gohan mumbled without even turning his head.

"Why is there a party going on in my son's bedroom?" Everyone could hear him begin to walk in. "Oh, so now we're hiding something? Why is everyone so _scared_ to reply?" Sarcasm dripped from his tone.

"We found a girl saiyan, Mr. Veg-_OW_!" Gohan smacked his little brother a moment too late, though.

Thankfully, it took a moment for Vegeta to fully absorb this little… tidbit. Gohan immediately stepped forward, trying to explain.

"You see, Vegeta," Gohan laughed, trying to block his view from Veda. "We're not really all that sure… you said so yourself that only four of you guys survived Frieza's attack."

Vegeta leaned over to peek around Gohan. "What are you hiding, boy? The girl?"

"That's just it, Vegeta—"

Gohan felt a little hand cling onto his denim jeans, and he groaned. When Vegeta's eyes widened considerably, Gohan knew Veda must be getting an eyeful of the saiyan prince.

"What… is THAT," Vegeta hissed, taking a step back.

"Well… We think her name is Veda…" Goku replied, being the only one who has the gall (or stupidity) to reply.

Vegeta, for once, was speechless.


	3. Veda meets ChiChi

**Disclaimer: Disclaimers are against my religion. Once again, if it's on a fan fiction site, then we ALL know I don't own a good portion of what I use in my stories. I do technically 'own' the idea of the fourth dimension and Veda. Sooooo yeah. Not that I'll get mad if someone makes their own version of what happened in the fourth dimension… Or if they use Veda… as long as they, like, ask me or something.**

Gohan: …What's up with the long ass disclaimer?

Cesna: You're so funny when you cuss. XD

Gohan: I hate you.

Cesna: I know. But this chapter has some good old fashion Vegeta, so you'll be happy.

Gohan: …This makes me happy why?!?

Cesna: I dunno. ::shrug:: Because you're a cool guy?

Gohan: You make no sense. Whatsoever.

Cesna: WhatEVA, I do what I want! Chapter three everyone! Oh, and my chapters are always pretty short. That means you guys get updates often, so don't complain.

Gohan: Urg…

_ooo_

"There is no _WAY_. There is no _EXPLAINATION_."

Vegeta couldn't even look at her.

"Eksplan e rot?" Veda asked, wrapping her arms around Gohan's legs.

"STOP THAT!" Bellowed Vegeta. "You can't speak saiyago, because you can't possibly be saiyan!"

"…Bellaroo?"

"AUG!"

"So she really is speaking saiyago?" Goku asked, looking toward his rival. Vegeta grimaced and crossed his arms.

"No! I mean… she seems to be, but it's impossible!"

"'Seems to be'?" Gohan asked. "Are you saying… you're not sure?"

Vegeta sneered. "…I…"

"Hai!" Veda shortled. "Ah no 'saiya-jin-no-oujo'…"

"Wha… what did you just say to me, brat?!" Vegeta glowered. Upon seeing her satisfied smirk, he closed his eyes and balled up his gloved fists. To Goku it seemed that he was trying to think of something hard to recall, like a childhood memory. "Ah… Yassir FETA saiya-jin no oijo!!!"

Veda laughed and shook her head.

"Ay no papia…"

"WHAT?! Of course I'm not your father!!"

"If you're able to communicate with her… doesn't that mean she speaks saiyago?"

"Saiyago isn't exactly an original language," Vegeta said simply with a nasty sneer. "It's comparable to some other languages as well… such as your Italian and Spanish on this backwards planet."

"So what exactly is saiyago so comparable to?" Gohan asked.

"The truffle language, for one," Vegeta grunted. "And other planets that saiyans settled after attaining truffle technology."

"Then why don't you talk to her more and find out?" Goku asked, scratching the back of his head. The three demi-saiyans in the room all looked at each other and nodded. This seemed to be the reasonable thing to do in the situation.

Apparently not. "I… I… I don't have time for this!" Vegeta yelled and turned to storm out.

"Ay no saiya-jin no oijo!" Veda called after him, spitting as she did so.

"AND THAT ABOMINATION IS NOT ALLOWED TO STAY HERE!"

"But 'Geta…" Goku whined. "You know she can't stay with us, Chi-Chi's getting ready to have another—"

The door slammed. The only noise after that was Vegeta stomping down some stairs, and Veda's giggling.

_ooo_

"All right, boys… You know your mother is hormonal. So she might not react well to our new… situation."

The four saiyans were on the doorstep to the Son household, in the folds of rural country that Goku grew up loving so much. The three younger saiyans (being Goten, Gohan and Veda), were being given a pep-talk before the mighty confrontation. More so Goten and Gohan, Veda not being able to understand much of anything that was going on. She wasn't really paying attention anyway. She was more interested in the new clothes she was wearing.

"Dad, just let me talk to Mom. You'll just make her angry," Gohan said. "I know how to get what I want from her anyway."

Goku looked a little worried, but Goten took one look at Veda and laughed. "Gohan's right, Dad. He's good at talking to Mom."

Before they left the Capsule Corporation, Goten had gotten a list of words Trunks knew of saiyago to help communicate with Veda. They also borrowed some of his older clothes to dress her with. The three Son's didn't want to be caught dead in a girl's clothing section of a store. Especially little girls. So she really looked like a tomboy, especially wearing a baseball hat to cover up her unusually spiky hair that is so typical of saiyans.

"Well, just make her seem as normal as possible." Goku really stressed the word 'normal'. "Your mom would flip if she finds out Veda is a saiyan."

"Heh, I think she would do a little more than a little flip!" Goten whispered to Gohan, making the older demi-saiyan laugh a little. Veda clung onto Gohan's pant-leg, looking around at the surroundings. She didn't say much, other than 'Famousa…'

"Alright, lets get in," Goku sighed, pushing open the door. Veda's tail was quickly tucked into her pants by Gohan.

"We should probably get that removed soon." He said as the four made way inside, being led in by Goku. All four saiyans got a dreamy look in their eyes upon crossing the threshold of the home.

"Oh, Chi-Chi, I remember why I married you now…"

"…because she forced you to?" Goten said. Goku laughed nervously.

"Honey?" Chi-Chi called from the kitchen. Goku shrugged and patted his oldest on the back with a weak smile.

"Gohan… go do your stuff."

"Don't worry, I'll weasel her into the family," Gohan reassured. Veda watched Gohan turn into the kitchen/dining room area wearily. Goku patted her head gently, wanting to say something encouraging, but knowing she wouldn't understand anyway. She shrugged away from his touch, looking indignant. No, maybe proud would better suit the maneuver.

"Mom?" Gohan said as he entered the dining room. His mother was placing dinner on the table. Chi-Chi smiled warmly at her oldest, rasing up to greet him with two hand's on her swollen belly.

"Yes, Gohan?"

"…You know how you're always wanting us to add 'culture' to the family?"

Chi-Chi chuckled and waddled her way back into the kitchen to get the rest of dinner, Gohan following right on her heels.

"Of course, Gohan. But you know your father and brother."

"Well, I uh, wanted to surprise you, we all did!" Gohan laughed a little nervously. It had been a long time since he had flat out lied to his mother. He might omit information here and there, and twist things in a positive light occasionally, but this? It was taking every ounce of charisma he had. "We figured you wouldn't mind, since it would definitely be adding culture to the house…"

Chi-Chi beamed at her son. "Oh, darling, an early birthday present?" She almost teared up. This almost caused Gohan to go back to Vegeta, begging him to take care of Veda. Almost.

"You could say that," Gohan grumbled. "And I think you'll like her!"

"…her? Oh, Gohan, you didn't get me a pet did you?" Chi-Chi grimaced, suddenly making a sharp attitude shift.

"No no no, well, not really," Gohan sighed. "We have… a foreign exchange student!"

His mother almost dropped the platter of food she was carrying. "…what?"

"Dad, bring her in!" Gohan had to get her in there before his mother could start protesting.

"…she's already here?" Chi-Chi could feel her head spinning, and she quickly put down the food on the table before she really did drop it all. Not that it would stop the ravenous saiyans from eating. "Gohan, this really isn't the best time for our family…" She rubbed her belly nervously after placing the rest of the food on the table.

Goku walked around the corner with Goten and Veda in tow. All three had different levels of nervousness about themselves. Veda's being the most mild.

"Well, uh, she certainly is young to be an exchange student," Chi-Chi shook her head and sat down suddenly. Goku gave a blank look at Gohan when his wife muttered 'exchange student'. Gohan shrugged with a slightly queasy smile on his face.

"…I guess go ahead and sit down… What's her name?"

"Veda!" Goten exclaimed, dying to interject something. Goku and Gohan almost audibly groaned. Veda looked towards Goten after hearing her name. Chi-Chi ran a finger through the tips of her hair.

"That's an… interesting name," Chi-Chi said, giving her oldest a knowing glance. "Where exactly is… Veda… from?"

"Um," Gohan muttered, looking away from his mom. "I believe she said she Czechoslovakia?" Goku and Goten wondered if that was a real country. Chi-Chi pouted out her bottom lip and nodded lightly.

"That certainly is cultural."

"Don't quote me on that though," Gohan laughed quickly. "And, uh, she doesn't speak English either."

Chi-Chi almost laughed. "She's younger than Goten, an exchange student, and she can't speak any English? What kind of country would do that to a young child? We don't even live near any public schools, Gohan. This story of yours isn't adding up." She leaned back in her chair, tapping a foot lightly on the ground. Gohan almost forgot that his mother was an expert in all things education, because of her heavy investment in Gohan's schooling.

"Oh! I almost forgot. I was going to take her to school in the city every day before heading off to my own school… She'll be in ESL courses, of course."

"Well, I suppose that answers all my questions, Veda, why don't you—oh…"

Chi-Chi was about to invite the child to have dinner with them, but Veda was already taking care of dinner. Not only that, she could pack away food just like Goku.

The matron of the house gave a stern and suspicious look to Gohan, who was really reaching for a reasonable explanation to this.

"Ha ha ha! It was a long flight, and you know how airplane food is… Plus, we already told her to make herself at home, before walking in."

"I see…" Chi-Chi frowned and shook her head. "So what does that phrase translate to in Czechoslovakian, exactly? Since that's what you had to of said it in, her not speaking any English and all."

"Gee, I'm hungry!" Goten said too loudly. "Let's eat!"

_ooo_

Cesna: Hey, that's a longer one of mine. Neat.

Gohan: Why again is everyone a little out of character?

Cesna: Remember that this is the fourth dimension, Gohan. Not everyone's personality has stayed the same in the dimensional rift I've created. Bahahahaha. Anyway, I'd love some reviews to know that people actually care if I submit this story. o.o I don't care if they're annonomous or not, but signed reviews would be nice so I could reply to you guys. Which I do nowadays. I still don't understand why 'Bring me to Life' is my most popular story... it's probably the worst written out of all of them... Seeing as I only wrote it in about two days.

Gohan: You're getting off subject.

Cesna: Shut up! You're mean!! XO


	4. Planning and Sparring

**Disclaimer: disclaimers are against my religion.**

Cesna: I'm on a roll with this story. Why didn't I start at the beginning earlier?

Gohan: Because this idea sucks. If it were a good one, then a lot of other people would have thought of it by now. Seriously.

Cesna: Hey, who SAYS no one's thought of it before? Growl.

Gohan: It doesn't really make sense. If the 'fourth dimension' really existed, then why didn't Cell turn up THERE instead of in the 'first dimension'?

Cesna: Because the moment Cell arrived created the split in dimensions, duh. The first and fourth ones originally were the same dimension, but Cell changed it. Like… it was all originally one dimension. But then Mirai came back and screwed things up for the better, making two. Then Cell showed up, making three and a backlash with the fourth being implied-

Gohan: Buuuuuut….

Cesna: SHUT UP IT MAKES SENSE. D: DBXLV chapter four everyone!

Gohan: Oie.

_ooo_

"_Exchange_ student, Gohan?!" Goku spouted. "How could you flat out lie to your mother? She'll kill me when she finds out!"

"Then we won't let her find out," Gohan replied. After dinner, Goku insisted on a walk with Gohan, making it clear that it was serious.

"And I'm _sure_ Veda is just going to let us cut her tail off."

"Dad, I'll figure this out."

"What about bathing? You're mom's going to see her tail!"

"I'll tell Mom that Veda can bathe herself. Goten and I can show her how to use the stupid thing."

"We don't even speak her language, how are we going to pull that off?" Goku whined, making Gohan roll his eyes. His father crossed his arms and frowned. "You know how I hate being the naysayer for once, Gohan, but I really don't think this is a great idea… I was thinking we'd say something like… 'Oh, hey, look at what we found, isn't she great don't you want to keep her play it innocent' kind of thing rather than flat out lying to her."

Gohan pulled in a deep breath and found words to feed his father. "She would have insisted us take her somewhere else, with the condition of our family right now and all. She'd call up Bulma to see if she would take care of Veda, and who knows what Trunks has told her already, then Mom would know anyway. Nah, this is better for Veda for now. The only ones that can handle raising a saiyan child is another saiyan."

"Raising?" Goku asked, looking a bit queasy. "What kind of commitment are we talking about, here? And plus, I think my grandfather did a pretty good job with me..."

Gohan rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. "You are a freak case, Dad. You bumped your head and became the perfect child, remember? We can't just hit Veda over the head and expect her to turn out like you."

Goku sat himself on a large rock by their favorite fishing lake. "I don't see why not..." Goku said glumly. Gohan began to take his shoes off and dip his feet in the water. His father looked skyward after some birds, which turned out to be flying dinosaurs. The corners of his mouth still found their way downward. "What are you going to do with her at school? Your mother's going to expect her to be gone all day six days a week."

"Dad, for the fifth time, I'll figure something out. I'll ask you or Goten for help, if I have too." Gohan shook his head and wiggled his toes in he water. "Thank goodness the next semester doesn't start for another week, so I have some time to think about things."

The eldest of all the demi-saiyans really could use a laugh right about then. His father was only like this when he was seriously worried about what Chi-Chi was going to do to him. Which wasn't really all that often, believe it or not. He must be thinking they've tread into some serious waters if he was worrying this much.

"Listen, Dad, let me and Goten worry about Veda. We're the ones that found her, so she's kind of our responsibility."

"This isn't one of your pets, Gohan," Goku sighed, allowing himself to slide backwards off of the rock, and onto his back on the grass. He landed with an 'umf' and a 'thud'. Gohan looked back to chuckle at his father. "But I guess I trust the two of you. You've never let me down before…" Goku waved at Gohan, hesitantly giving him his approval for the situation. "But remember that lying to your mother wasn't my idea, and we're good. Because she has a knack for figuring things out. Remember where you got your brains from, because it definitely wasn't me!"

"You're smart in your own way, Dad." Gohan cupped up some water and splashed it on his own face. "It takes strategy to win all of the battles you have…"

"I guess you're right…" Goku stretched in place and sat up, rubbing a single finer underneath his nose. "Hey, I just thought of something. You know that Veda had to of come from somewhere…"

Gohan cut his father off, having already thought the situation over. "…and she might want to go back, or they might come after her. It's okay, Dad, we'll be prepared for what happens."

"You don't know what I was going to say!" Goku said, a little flustered. "Those are good points and all, but I was going to say she might be like me and have been sent to destroy life on Earth."

Gohan frowned, pulling his feet out of the water. He hadn't thought of that. But it's not like Veda hurt her head like his father and forgot her mission, if that really was the case. "I doubt it, Dad. Compared to most saiyans we've encountered, her demeanor is pretty mild. Probably wasn't raised around other saiyans…"

"Just don't get me in big trouble with your mother, you know how I hate that more than anything." Goku laughed, getting up and walking over to where Gohan sat. He reached down a hand to his son, helping him up. Gohan grabbed up his shoes, and they began to trek casually home. It wasn't until then did the young adult start to think about one year from then, when the exchange student program would be 'over'. What would they do then? Maybe then Chi-Chi would know the truth… Or Vegeta would get over himself and let her stay there.

…Yeah, like that was going to happen.

_ooo_

Veda was seated in the grass, looking rather bored. Her tail was out of her pants, wagging about. Goten had taken her out for fresh air after dinner. Reading over the list of words that Trunks gave him, he was trying to find a way to entertain the new adopted member of the family. He was also trying to find a way to teach her some English as well. Some of the words he had were…

_Num- 'alone'_

_Ay- 'You'_

_Bellaroo- 'I don't understand'_

_Aynde- 'where'_

_Kano- 'away'_

_Santash- 'everyone'_

_Papia- 'father'_

_Yakka- 'name'_

_Payru- 'food'_

_Misham- 'bath'_

_Klak- 'dirty'_

_Ah- 'me'_

_Ah misharoo- 'I need to use the bathroom [more literally "I need to take a shit bad" but that's all Dad taught me for it…'_

_Kashn- 'one of the many wonderful words for 'angry'' [more like an "I'm angry at you, but not enough for me to kill you/not forgive you" kind of angry_

_Bayla- 'play'_

_…That's all I can think of right now, Goten. I'll think of more today and give them to you later this week! -Trunks_

Goten sighed.

"Ay yakka?" Veda asked, a stern look in her eyes as she said it carefully. Goten had to think for a minute, then check his list to see if he could translate.

"Ah… yakka?" Goten asked back.

Veda nodded and pointed to him. "Ay yakka." She pointed to herself. "Ah yakka Veda."

"My name is Goten!" He cheered. Veda grunted and glared at him.

"Naym ay yakka?"

Goten laughed at himself, accidentally pulling a Goku and scratching the back of his head. "Oh, right… saiyago. Ummm…" He followed the formula that Veda went by. "Ah yakka Goten!" He pointed to himself to clarify. Veda made a singular, slow nod. She tugged up some grass and started picking it apart.

"Goh-ten?" Hearing her say something in English was a little weird, especially because of the super weird accent she had. Harsh like German... almost... He would later ask Gohan what her accent reminded him of. He pointed at himself and smiled.

"That's right. Goten."

Once she thoroughly pulled apart the pieces of grass, Veda looked up at Goten once more. "Goh-ten. Bahna."

She didn't exactly say that nicely. Goten scanned his list of words to see if 'bahna' was on there. He hoped she didn't just call him an idiot or something. He sighed in relief to find a word similar to it, and it meant 'play'. Bayla, was that word, though. It was a little different, but maybe it meant the same thing? "Veda?"

She looked up at the demi-saiyan. "Uhroo?"

"Veda… bayla?" Goten really hoped Trunks got that word right. Playing was all he really felt like doing. Veda's eyes brightened up considerably, almost scaring the ten-year-old.

"Ay kawa bayla?" She asked him. He winced, hoping that he was agreeing to something that he wouldn't regret.

"Tay kow ana howora." Veda jumped to her feet and slid into a fighting stance. Goten blanched.

"Uhhh…" He checked his list of words quickly. "…bellaroo?"

"Bayla! Bayla!" Veda cried, understanding that Goten only knew a handful of words from her language. "Ay kawa bayla!" Her tail went to a pointed position. Goten still bore an awkward expression on his face. From frustration, Veda resorted to less complicated ways to communicate. She pounced on him in an aggressive manner.

"HEY!" Goten cried out, never having fought a girl before, much less one that he was supposed to be taking care of.

They started to roll, Goten using this momentum to throw Veda over him with a firm kick to her torso.

"Aych!" Veda spat in the air, twisting about to land on all fours. No sooner did she do so, did she launch herself at him again. Not really understanding how 'play' translated to 'kill me', he went on the defensive until he could figure this out. She threw a decent punch toward his face, Goten hardly having time to side-step it. She certainly wasn't a weakling, but it wasn't anything Goten couldn't handle, especially if he decided to turn super saiyan.

She dropped to the ground and kicked his feet out from underneath him. Goten squalled.

Veda appeared above him in mid-fall with a swift knee to his back, sending him flying upward.

"THAT'S IT!" Goten screamed and used his ki to stop his momentum in mid-air. "You asked for it, Veda!"

"Goh-ten!" Veda laughed. She rubbed some dirt from her face. She slid into a ready stance, oddly taking the defensive this round.

Now, Goten loved fighting games. He absolutely did. But fighting a girl? He didn't care if she was a saiyan or not, it still made him a little uncomfortable. And training with his mother didn't count. And plus, with the language barrier, he didn't know if she was actually trying to hurt him or not. Not like he knew for sure what 'bayla' meant. Almost without even thinking about it, Goten threw his ki behind him to launch himself at Veda.

Surprise overcame him as she was taken completely off guard, a fist making a little more than a casual contact with her cheekbone. She rocketed backward a good twenty feet before regaining her bearings. She threw her arms towards the ground and turned the event into a back flip, landing on her legs. When Goten saw the look on her face, he knew he was in trouble. And not with Veda, either. Not like she was going to be able to do anything about it. But her face was already swelling up. In horror he looked at himself.

He had gone super saiyan in a rage! No, more like a tantrum. No wonder she didn't have time to react… She looked on at him with wide eyes, a hand where he hit her.

"Ay… yana saiya-jin!" Veda murmured. Goten quickly changed back from embarrassment.

"If you're a saiyan can't you do that too?" He said indignantly. "Ay yana saiya-jin?" He repeated mockingly.

She shook her head, not taking her eyes off of him or a hand away from her face. She almost looked scared. If she weren't so amazed, that is. Goten winced a bit. He was pretty sure she just told him she couldn't go super saiyan. But she knew about it, anyway. He thought that all saiyans could do that? All the saiyans _he_ knew could do it. Heck, he could do it as long as he could remember! He allowed himself to fall out of super saiyan. This made Veda relax considerably. Maybe she was just a late bloomer? Or maybe the girl saiyans don't go super saiyan. While he was thinking, someone put a large hand on his shoulder.

"What do you two think you're doing?"

Goten jumped when the familiar voice spoke. He then relaxed; it was just Gohan. Man, he was sure starting to sound a lot like Dad when he wanted.

"Oh… Hey Gohan. I was just trying to play with Veda, when she attacked me for some reason. I thought 'bayla' meant play." He shrugged. "I think I might of hurt her a little."

Gohan frowned at his brother. "How bad?"

"You go look at her, she might have a bruise." Goten grumpily looked away.

"Goten, how am I going to explain to Mom that the exchange student from Czechoslovakia was…" He walked over to Veda, who recoiled away from him.

"Goh…Goh-tun!" She whined. Gohan almost laughed.

"So you taught her your name? That's some progress… Cummon, Veda, let me see your face!" Gohan leaned down and pulled her hand away. "…"

"Uh, is it bad?"

"Goten. Exactly how hard did you hit her?"

"I didn't mean to hit her hard, she just made me mad!"

Gohan glared back at his little brother, holding Veda's wrist. He brought her into view of him and Goten blanched. She already had a tennis ball shaped bruise underneath her eye, and it was red, starting to become darker already. It looked really painful. But Veda's expression remained one of stout indifference.

"Goten. Think about it. We're talking about a saiyan here. 'Play' to them is probably killing small children for fun." Gohan went to pick up Veda, but she squirmed away from his touch. She crawled up on a rock and crossed her arms, pouting. Gohan sighed. "Even Dad's almost the same way. Sparring to him is the best thing ever. It's even better if it's a strong enemy he's fighting to win it all. And that's _post_ head trauma."

Goten hated most of all getting a lecture from his older brother. He could stand his mom or dad getting mad at him, but Gohan was someone he wanted to be just like when he was older. Seeing him disappointed was just… lame.

"Well, let's get some ice on this before it swells any more. Mom's going to really have a cow if you tell her that you and Veda were playing fighting games. We'll just say she fell down, it's not like she can tell Mom otherwise."

"Yeah… that's good I guess." Goten went over to the rock that Veda was sitting on. "I'm really sorry for smashing your face in, Veda."

She just glared at him for a few seconds. Then she smirked. "Bayla, akka saratu."

"Uh… bellaroo?"

Veda actually laughed. Goten reached up a hand to her. She waved it off and jumped off the rock.

"Hey, guys, it's getting dark." Gohan stated. "And I have no idea if it's a full moon tonight, so we'd better get inside."

"What does the full moon have to do with anything?" Goten asked, screwing up his face in confusion. Gohan shook his head.

"I'll explain later…"

"It's not like she understands if we're talking about her!" Goten exclaimed as they started off towards the house. "Cummon, tell me!"

"True… Well, basically a saiyan with a tail plus a full moon is just… bad business."

Goten's eyes grew wide, Veda looking between the two brother's as they walked. If they were looking at her, they would see that she was trying her best to understand what was going on. "So she's like a werewolf?"

Gohan was about to tell him 'no', but then he narrowed his eyes and stuck out his bottom lip. "You know what… kind of… more like a were-ape though."

"Cool! I wanna see her transform!"

"Trust me, it's best if you don't."

"Aw, you're no fun."

"I'd rather have no fun than no house."

Veda scanned the purple skies of the recent sunset. And hanging high above, was a waxing moon. A little curious, she stopped and pointed up at it. Not that Gohan or Goten noticed. Realizing she was being left behind, she snapped out of it and trotted after them, Gohan quickly tucking in her tail as she caught up.

"One of these days, we're going to walk into that house and you're going to have your tail out!"

_ooo_

Cesna: …o.o! I cannot believe how long this chapter is…

Gohan: D: It's like… an actual chapter. Of a real story.

Cesna: It's still only a couple of scenes, but still. Wow. I'm happy with myself. I promise some plot movement will be happening soon. ::cough:: Then again, this story mainly focuses on setting up my future ones… I might throw a baddie in here just to spice things up… hm… I'll get around to thinking about that kind of stuff tomorrow though. Hee hee.

Gohan: Just get back to the other stories soon. I'm getting really tired of getting jerked around every which way. It's depressing.


End file.
